SHSL Guardian Logs
by wesst1
Summary: This started as an extra in "Everyday Life With Ultimate Girls". Started as a crossover with Destiny, but I decided to branch out. Can't find the misc. x-over tag.
1. Chapter 1

SHSL Guardian Logs: Essence of True Despair

* * *

**What's going on ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Ultimates and Guardians of all ages!**

**I know I said I was taking a break and I meant it, but this idea has been floating around my head since Shadowkeep dropped and there's only one thing to do with an idea you can't get out of your head… Make it into a story.**

**This will probably be a one-shot, but I might add to it if I get the inspiration.**

**This is one of the many stories of the many adventures one could write about Guardian Makoto Naegi. So, let's see what's in store for him and Ghost shall we?**

* * *

_Hello again, my trenchant Dante._

_You have stepped in and out of sharp-edged worlds, hewn gods into blunt fractions, twinned yourself with powers whose names cannot even be held in the language of little gray cells. You think yourself very high up on the pyramid of contumely._

_If you only knew how high that pyramid goes._

_Higher than I knew when my radiant killer unsung me from biological squalor, or when I witnessed a royal secret turn death into a chrysalis. Higher than I described in my journals or told to our mutual three-eyed friend._

_Higher than even I, sailor upon the Sea of Screams that I am, can yet see._

_Perhaps I will tell you about them._

_You are right to ask why I would do so. Very good, dear squanderer, your intentions have grown sharp as thrallteeth._

_You see, they know. What you are, what you were, what you will become. They know._

_What lean tithes you are to them. Soft whetstones make for dull blades._

_This I define as the truth and tension of the rope: to bind, one must apply force at both ends._

_I think perhaps I will tell you after all._

All these months after reclaiming Bad Juju and the Guardian still couldn't stop thinking about that message from Toland. It got worse once he had met his doppelganger in that vision. That was what brought him back here, beneath the Lunar surface. The Pyramid sat silently.

…_they know._

Know what?

_What you are…_

A Guardian. That much was obvious to anyone with eyes.

…_what you were…_

The Darkness had him there…possibly. What good would it do the Darkness to know the past of a man with no memory?

…_what you will become._

He doubted that. Paracausal force or not, if, and that was a big if, the messages from the Darkness were anything to go by, it was committed to one outcome, what it called the "Final Shape." Guardians weren't so easy to predict, or so this Guardian liked to believe.

"Guardian!"

"What?! Oh, sorry Ghost, I must have zoned out."

The little robot focused its single eye on its partner and said, "I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes. This was more than 'zoning out.'"

"I'm just thinking-"

"-about the Darkness and Toland. Yes, I know. While I admit that we should be concerned with what Toland told us, I don't think this is the place to do it."

"I don't like it either, Ghost. Hearing the Darkness speak through you was more than a little unsettling."

"That's putting it lightly," Ghost huffed. Before Ghost could say anymore, a message came through on Comms.

"Guardian." It was Eris Morn. "Another Nightmare of Crota has appeared," she stated.

"We're on it!" the Guardian and Ghost shouted.

* * *

The Nightmare of Crota, Son of Oryx fell once more to the Guardian and his fireteam, dropping yet another Essence of Despair. As the Guardian claimed his trophy, he waved goodbye to his teammates as the transmatted out of the Chamber of Night.

"Great work everyone!" he said as the other Guardians and Ghosts left.

The Nightmare certainly went down easier than the real Crota and it helped that there were two swordbearers. As he thought this, the Guardian's eyes focused on the Essence of Despair. Perhaps it was because he had been resurrected after the Great Disaster or maybe it was because he had been one of the six to end Crota, but the Guardian couldn't associate Crota with despair.

He never mentioned it, but Ghost knew this. Ghost had been around during the Great Disaster and saw the effect that it had on the people of The Last City. Crota did live up to his moniker of Hope-Eater.

During the Taken War, Ghost had asked his Guardian if his memories were returning. The Guardian's feelings, or lack of them, towards Crota was part of the reason why. His Guardian would always think, _This isn't Despair. True Despair was…_ It would always cut off before he remembered leaving both Ghost and the Guardian confused. Who or what could be worse than Crota? Who or what could instill despair greater than the Hive? And why did Ghost think that the despair his partner thought of deserved to have a capitalized "D"? Neither one was sure they wanted answers to these questions.

"Upupupupu!"

That laugh caused both Ghost and the Guardian to freeze up: Ghost because of how out of place and creepy the laugh was and the Guardian because he felt that he knew this laugh.

"What was that?" Ghost asked.

"I don't know, but it sounded familiar," the Guardian answered as he headed towards the source.

Ghost had a bad feeling but followed anyway.

* * *

Once the Guardian had stepped into the hallway leading to the World's Grave, everything changed. The layout no longer looked like the Hive's subterranean Lunar stronghold. This was pre-Golden Age, human architecture, but everything was tinted red.

"Just like in the Pyramid," the Guardian noted. Worried that the Darkness had possessed his partner again, he called out, "Ghost!"

Nothing.

"Ghost?" the Guardian called again. His companion was nowhere to be found. It was then that the Guardian noticed something else: he was no longer in his Dreambane Armor, he was now wearing a zipped-up dull green hoodie with a red stripe along the zipper, an open black jacket with gold buttons over the hoodie, black jeans, and red sneakers with white toes. He raised his hands to check if he was still wearing his helmet. As he suspected, he was not. This didn't happen on the Pyramid.

"Upupupupupu! It's time for a class reunion, Naegi-kun!" a cheery, high-pitched voice said.

_Naegi-kun?_ There was no time to think about that now. "Who are you?" the Guardian asked.

A nearby monitor turned on and the owner of the voice…a black and white teddy bear? said, "Now that won't do Naegi-kun! I know it's been a long time, but you can't go forgetting your headmaster!"

"Headmaster?" the Guardian asked. The more the bear spoke, the less he understood.

"Ah, kids today. Think they're so important they can just forget the people who shaped them. So what if you've killed a few alien gods, I've done plenty of important things in my day!" the bear scolded.

The Guardian had no idea what was going on, but this bear was dangerous. He didn't know how he knew, but he did. He reached out and tried to connect with Solar Light, but the Golden Gun would not form.

"All of your friends will be so disappointed that you don't remember them. That deserves a punishment by itself. Yes, a class trial will help you remember! I'm such a genius!" the bear said.

"Class trial?" the Guardian didn't know why, but his blood ran cold at those words.

"Yes, your friends can decide whether or not forgetting them a crime worthy of making you the 'blackened'."

The Guardian didn't like the sound of that. This was the Pyramid's doing, no question, but this went well beyond anything it had done previously. The Guardian knew he was still connected to the Light, but this went well beyond a Darkness Zone.

"Keep moving. You'll reach the Trial Room if you keep moving forward. Moving forward is what you're best at, after all. Upupupupupu!" the bear laughed as the monitor went dark.

* * *

The Guardian did indeed keep moving forward until reaching a set of doors. As soon as he touched them, his surroundings changed. He was no longer in a hallway; this was a large open room with 16 podiums and what looked like a throne. Atop the throne was the bear.

"You made it! It seems Headmaster Monokuma still commands some respect!" The bear, Monokuma, exclaimed happily.

"Is it just the two of us?" the Guardian asked.

"Of course not! You can't hold a class trial with only the two of us. Now, it is with a heavy heart that inform you that not all of your classmates were able to make it. Luckily, most of them are here! Come on out everyone!" Monokuma shouted.

Nine other Nightmares began to manifest. Their faces were hidden by shadows, but their other features were clear enough.

The first to speak was a girl with long, blue hair. "Naegi-kun, was that robot more important to you than me? I don't remember you swearing revenge for me."

The Guardian wanted to argue, say that Cayde-6 had been his friend, but he knew that in his first life, these people had been his friends too.

Next, a boy with red hair spoke. "Weren't you going to carry our deaths with you? Whatever happened to that?" he asked.

_It's not my fault! My first life is a mystery to me! I'm sorry!_ The Guardian wanted to shout all of these thoughts, but even if these were flesh and blood people and not Nightmares, he doubted that these would be the right words.

"People are still dying. Even with this power, you still can't save anyone," a girl in a plain uniform with a combat vest said.

_I'm trying! I'm still just one man! I wish I could do more!_

A small girl, no that was a boy, he knew, spoke up. "Why were you chosen? We all died too soon; don't we get new lives?"

_I'll find you all! I'm sure your Ghosts are looking for you right now! I'll take them to you!_

A large boy in a leather jacket was next. "Why did you forget us? Do the dead mean nothing to you now that you're immortal?"

_That's not it! Not at all!_

Next was a boy in a white uniform. "Is that why you were able to find hope? Did you have this power back then too?"

_That's not how it works! If I had this power in my first life, I'm sure I would have saved you all!_

It was then a rather large, rotund boy's turn to speak. "You aren't fit to be a hero. No protagonist would forget his friends!

_I never called myself a hero! I'm just trying to do what's right!_

A girl in Gothic Lolita style clothes spoke next. "I think you deserve a demotion. You're so far below F-rank your existence is an insult!"

_Do I… Do I deserve to be a Guardian?_

Finally, the tall, muscular girl spoke. "Even now, you haven't changed! You become a hero based on luck and the sacrifice of others!"

_I'm not trying to!_

"_This is beneath you!"_ a haughty voice yelled in the Guardian's mind.

_Huh?_ New voices? But where were they coming from?

"_C'mon Naegi-chi, you're the Ultimate Hope! Don't let this stop you!_ A laid-back voice added.

"_F-for s-s-some r-reason, Byakuya-sama respects you, so d-don't screw up an make him look bad!" _an annoyed, female voice stuttered out.

"_Yeah Macbook Pro! You finally found a spine, don't go losing it now! Bwahahah!_ That was the same voice as the last, but this time, there was confidence.

"_Nae-Gi Ma-Koto! Nae-Gi Ma-Koto! Sorry, usually you would cheer for me so I'm new at this! But I still believe in you!_ an energetic, female voice told him.

"_You would always say that your optimism was your only redeeming quality. While I disagree that it is your 'only' redeeming quality, it has always helped you through any crisis, this is no different!" _a calm, female voice reassured him.

More voices gave him encouragement, nine of which he had become very familiar with:

"_That's not me, Naegi-kun!"_

"_You seriously think I'd say that to you? Come on man!_

"_Naegi-kun, I- No, it doesn't matter now. What does matter is that I believe in you!"_

"_You were chosen for a reason! You're a hero!"_

"_Show these Nightmares your manly pride!"_

"_Nightmares are not welcome! Not in a school environment, and not anywhere where they torment my friend!"_

"_Ah, the inspiration this would have given me back then! It's no mistake that you're the protagonist Naegi-dono!"_

"_No C-Rank of mine would let some Nightmares get to him!"_

"_Naegi-kun! Show them your power!_

"Now, it's Punishment Time!" Monokuma gleefully yelled.

"Sore wa chigau yo!" the Guardian shouted as the Golden Gun appeared in his hand. Firing shots off at each Nightmare ending with Monokuma.

The Guardian thought it was all over until he heard clapping. A girl with strawberry blonde pigtails appeared behind where Monokuma had been seconds earlier.

"I'm impressed, Naegi-kun. I wish I was still around, think of the type of killing game I could put on now!"

The Guardian said nothing and just glared.

"You're right! Immortals would make shitty participants, but hey, it's new and different!" the girl continued.

The Golden Gun hadn't disappeared yet, and the Guardian aimed it right at the newcomer's face.

"Really?" she asked. Then, in her best impression of an old lady voice, she said, "Why, I'm old enough to remember when Naegi Makoto was a pacifist. He once tried to talk me out of trying to experience the Despair of death."

The Guardian said nothing.

"What, did being dead take away your sense of humor? That was funny and you know it. But fine, I've had my fun. Love ya, Hope Boy!" the girl exclaimed before the Guardian pulled the trigger on his final shot of the Golden Gun.

* * *

As soon as the Nightmare of that girl disappeared, the Guardian found himself in the World's Grave. His armor was back. His weapons were back. Now where was…?

"Guardian?"

And now his Ghost was back. "Hey Ghost. Where were you?"

"I don't know. I blacked out after we left the Chamber of Night and was just floating around in random directions. What happened?"

"A different type of Nightmare showed up. I almost let it beat me too. Thankfully help showed up."

"Really? Who?"

"I think they were old friends."

"I'll have to thank them then."

"You may get your chance. Let's head back to the Tower."

"Sounds good."

"Oh, do you know a bunch of Ghosts that still need to find Guardians?"

"Yeah? Why?"

"I think I know of a place in Old Japan they might want to try looking in."

* * *

Kinox and Voshyr, the remaining Daughters of Crota were less than pleased by this result. No enemy placed in front of their father's killer was ever enough. They thought to switch up their tactics, perhaps try a plan like what their great-aunt Savathûn, the Witch-Queen would have tried if she were to act in a more direct manner. Once again, they had failed. The Guardian would have made a fine tribute, but this Nightmare of Enoshima Junko, the Ultimate Despair, would work as a sacrifice too. There was a Darkness in her that was just as great as the Guardian's Light.

* * *

**Whew. And there you go everyone. That was tough. I thought I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do, but the climax was a bit rough.**

**So…thoughts? Love it? Hate it? Let me know. And yes, I know that Destiny and Danganronpa may not seem like they go well together. Blame the Vex for this idea. There is a Heroic Adventure on Nessus where the Vex trap the Fallen in a Mutual Killing Game. All they were missing was the Class Trial.**

**Trust me this isn't even the weirdest crossover idea I have. That goes to that Sam & Max: Freelance Police style story with Makoto and Junko as Sam and Max. I mean, Junko could be a great Max, she's batshit insane and he has no impulse control, not that different.**

**If anyone wants to steal that idea, I'd consider it a favor.**

**Anyway, this is all I came here to do. I'll see you all in 2020.**


	2. Chapter 2

Pull My Devil Trigger

* * *

**Hello ladies and gentlemen; boys and girls; Ultimates of all ages! Are you ready? Ready for the SHSL Devil Hunter? I guess so, because I get demands for it in the reviews a lot these days.**

**Well, I did say that I'd do it, and it's not like I don't have time for it, let's just see how it goes.**

**Not that anyone would believe that I owned them but, Devil May Cry, Devil Trigger, and Danganronpa are not mine. I'd like it if they were, but they aren't.**

* * *

_Two millenniums ago, there was a war. Between the human world and the other... the Underworld. But somebody from the Underworld woke up to justice, and stood up against this legion, alone. His name was Sparda. Later, he quietly reigned the human world, and continued to preserve harmony, until his death. He became a legend, The Legendary Dark Knight, Sparda._

"Everyone knows that story, but these days, the human world is protected by Sparda's son, Dante. He's a man who has more than earned the title Legendary Devil Hunter, having saved the world on more than a few occasions, with help from his friends and his family. What many people don't realize is that Sparda's descendants aren't the only ones with the blood of devils. The Protectorate of Vie de Marli is one example of course, but there are others. I'm here to tell you his story."

* * *

Hope's Peak Academy, the ultimate school. Any student that graduated from this school was guaranteed to be someone of great importance. As such, whenever exam time rolled around, it turned into the ultimate hell for the students, odd when one considers that attendance for "Ultimate" students was optional.

With much wailing and gnashing of teeth, students crammed and then when exams rolled around, those that had been skipping class for most of the year and those that hadn't both felt tremendous pressure, regardless of what any heir to the Togami Conglomerate might say to the contrary.

But there was light at the end of the tunnel, a summer camp for the students. Class 77, 78, and 79 couldn't wait, it had been all that most of them had been talking about since the final day of exams.

Of course, the usual suspects still complained.

"I cannot fathom why any of you are so excited," Togami Byakuya said to his classmates.

"Shut up Rich Boy, camping is great. It puts hair on a man's chest," Owada Mondo shot back.

"While I cannot comment one way or the other about that, it does build character," Ogami Sakura added.

"B-Byakuya-sama doesn't need to build character, he's perfect," Fukawa Toko said in an attempt to defend her crush. Her effort seemed to be unappreciated, as Togami simply cringed when Fukawa started to speak.

As more students joined in the argument, a phone rang. The students found it rather catchy.

"Whose is that? I want that ringtone," Kuwata Leon said.

"Oh, that's me. It's called _Devil Trigger,_" a slightly embarrassed Naegi Makoto answered. He got stares in response, the title of that song and everything they knew about Naegi couldn't conflict more if they tried.

Naegi was getting a little uncomfortable and said, "I need to take this, I think it's work related." Once the words left his mouth, Naegi ran out of the room as quickly as he could. It was a wise move on his part, as the topic soon shifted to him.

"Naegi-kun has a job?"

"Naegi-kun is into that kind of music?"

"What kind of job does he have?"

"When did he get it? He never mentioned it."

"To be fair, Naegi-dono never really talks about himself."

"I hope it's nothing dangerous," Ikusaba Mukuro muttered to herself. If it was, she would have to see if they were hiring. Or even if it wasn't, she just wanted to spend more time with Naegi.

"Who cares what Hope Boy does in his spare time?" her sister, Enoshima Junko asked. Even after a year, Enoshima had no idea what to make of Naegi, and that was unusual. Enoshima wasn't just the Ultimate Fashionista, she was the Ultimate Analyst. She knew everything about a person as soon as she met them; knew the probability of every possible decision that they could make; among other things. There was nothing she couldn't analyze except for Despair, at least until she met Naegi. Her talent didn't work on him and she wanted to know why. She had spent so much time obsessing over Naegi that she put her plans to bring Despair to the entire world on hold until she could understand Naegi. Though, if Enoshima was being honest, she wouldn't object if Naegi could surprise her, but a boy like Naegi could only temporarily relieve her boredom.

* * *

In a secluded spot in the hall, Naegi answered his phone and was getting instructions for his next job.

"…"

"Out there? That's…convenient actually, I'm headed there this weekend," Naegi told the person on the other end of the phone.

"…"

"Yeah, school camping trip."

"…"

"No 'school' as in 'school.' Hope's Peak does things differently, for better or for worse."

"…"

"No, from what you told me it sounds like they won't run into each other, plus everyone is looking forward to it. Still, advise the client to use their best judgment."

"…"

"Yeah, we'll need to do go with the usual arrangement."

"…"

"I'll get them to you this evening, and yes, I know it comes out of my cut."

"…"

"I'd rather not risk my friends finding them. Some of the more self-aware ones enjoy messing with humans."

"…"

"Yeah, I should get going too. I'll call you when the job is done. Thanks, Kokujo-san," Naegi said as he ended the call. He then sighed and said, "So much for keeping my work life and school life separate."

* * *

The next day, after the three classes reached the campground outside the city, they were met by a forest ranger. He had straight shoulder-length black hair that parts above his forehead, thin eyebrows, and narrow blue eyes. "I'm Ranger Ruri, the former Ultimate Park Ranger, and I'm here to inform you of what you are and are not permitted to do here," he said.

"Ugh, Tenko refuses to listen to a degenerate male!" the Ultimate Aikido Master, Chabashira Tenko, exclaimed.

"Anyone caught disobeying will be removed from the park," Ruri said. No one knew if he had heard Chabashira or if he was just continuing as he normally would have, but Chabashira huffed and said no more.

"She'll be good," Akamatsu Kaede said for the Aikido Master. The Ultimate Pianist had a feeling that she would have her hands full with the Aikido Master this weekend.

"Okay. Now, I know some of you are probably looking forward to tests of courage, I'm afraid that there will be none this weekend," Ruri told the students.

"What!"

"No."

"Why?"

Ruri whistled to get everyone's attention and to stop further outbursts. Ruri then explained, "We're having problems deeper in the woods. We expect to resolve it soon, but for now, we are prohibiting visitors from anything involving going deep into the woods."

As the students murmured and whispered among themselves, and were thus distracted, Naegi approached Ruri and handed him a card. The only ones who caught it were Kirigiri, Enoshima, and Ikusaba.

_What is on that card?_ Kirigiri wondered.

_What's this about, Hope Boy?_ Enoshima thought.

_Naegi-kun, is this that job you mentioned? _Ikusaba worried. If Ruri wouldn't tell them exactly what was going on, Ikusaba thought that it must be bad.

"Once everyone is settled in at the lodge, meet me at the station," Ruri whispered to Naegi.

* * *

"My boss told me that someone would be coming to fix our problem, but I didn't expect a high school student," Ruri told Naegi.

"Rest assured, Ruri-san, I'm very good at what I do," Naegi said. He didn't want to brag, but he had a feeling that humility wasn't going to convince Ruri that he was capable.

Ruri sighed and said, "A few days ago, I wouldn't have believed you, but there isn't much I won't believe after everything that's happened."

"What can you tell me about what's going on?" Naegi asked.

"Two weeks ago, animals started turning up dead. They had no visible injuries, no diseases, no anything but somehow they were drained of their blood. A few days all of our water fixtures started giving us blood. When we checked, there was something in the water and in the soil. Some of the other rangers claim to have seen creatures made of blood."

"Blood-goyles," Naegi informed him.

"Whatever you call them, they're killing the wildlife and the plant life," Ruri said.

"Blood-goyles are easy enough, but they don't usually act on their own. There's something else at work here. But all the blood makes me think they're a major part of it," Naegi said, more to himself than Ruri.

"You're the expert. To be honest, I still have trouble believing that demons are involved, but none of this exactly natural, so I'll take a supernatural explanation if it means things go back to normal," Ruri told him.

"I'll handle it, Ruri-san, I just need what Kokujo-san dropped off yesterday evening and I'll finish up by tomorrow morning."

"Here," Ruri said as he pulled out a large bag covered in talismans.

Naegi smiled as he opened the bag and pulled out his Devil Arms. Everything was there, no one had gotten too curious. _Good,_ Naegi thought.

"Not that I wasn't curious, but with everything that's been going on the talismans were enough to keep me out."

"That's for the best, even after becoming Devil Arms, some don't give up tormenting humans. After the other students go to sleep, I'll get started," Naegi said.

What Naegi and Ruri hadn't realized was that they had an audience. Enoshima and Ikusaba were trying to listen at the door while Kirigiri was peeking in the window attempting to read lips as best as she could from her position.

_Demons? Is this guy nuts? As if Tanaka-senpai and Sonia-senpai weren't bad enough with that occult shit, _Enoshima thought. She would have to follow Naegi tonight if she wanted answers.

Ikusaba had a harder time hearing as Enoshima took the better spot at the door. She did look in the window and saw Naegi take out his Devil Arms. _Are those weapons? Why does Naegi-kun have them?_ The thought of kind and gentle Naegi with weapons didn't make sense to the poor girl. She would have to find out what was going on. She was going to tail Naegi whether her sister was or not.

Kirigiri got the gist of what was being said, but it didn't make any sense to her. She had come across cases that had stopped making sense in the past. Deaths that were impossible; Unexplained disappearances; things like that. She had been forced to abandon them when that happened. Not by choice, of course. If she wanted answers, then it seemed like Naegi could give them. _Naegi-kun, you've got some explaining to do, _she thought.

* * *

The students hadn't exactly been thrilled that the summer camp lacked the "camp" part of the experience. The forest lodge was nice, but it wasn't the same. It didn't feel authentic. Ruri ant their teachers said that they would start the real camping trip the next day, which seemed to pacify most of the students. The students were informed that they had an early start the next day and went to sleep shortly after dinner.

Once he was sure that everyone was asleep, Naegi snuck out of the lodge and went to collect his equipment at the Ranger Station. For a boy who hated deceiving others, he could be surprisingly stealthy. Head they not intended to follow him Enoshima, Ikusaba, and Kirigiri may not have ever known that he had left.

All three had one thought, _What are you hiding Naegi Makoto?_

By this time, Naegi had geared up. Though his appearance hadn't changed, the girls had a hard time believing that it was him. The kind and gentle Ultimate Lucky Student was now carrying a scimitar and dual pistols but there was something else. There was a look in his eyes, one that confidant. He looked like a man on a hunt and he knew his prey was close.

_So…hot,_ Ikusaba thought.

_I think I need to reconsider calling him an herbivore man_, Enoshima told herself as she silently wished Naegi would look at her like that. He'd been surprising her a lot lately and she liked it.

_Kyoko want, _Kirigiri thought before she caught herself. She had an investigation to conduct after all. One of Naegi. She had a feeling that she was going to be very distracted tonight.

Once Naegi had entered the woods, the girls finally began to follow him. They would be fine as long as they didn't lose him.

* * *

Unfortunately for them, Naegi proved to be rather elusive. The uneasy alliance between Kirigiri and the twins was being tested right from the beginning. Kirigiri believed that she would not have lost Naegi if she had been tailing him by herself. The twins felt the same way about her. Before any bickering could start though, gunshots rang out.

_Was that Naegi-kun?_ the girls thought as they ran towards the noise. When they got to where the shots were coming from there was no sign of Naegi but for some reason there were lots of what appeared to be broken statues. Kirigiri and Enoshima quickly put one back together to see that they statue was of a creature that looked to be a serpent-shaped bat with spikey wings.

There was no time to ask questions though, as the pieces they put together began to shake. The stone soon turned to what looked like blood as the creature came back to life.

The blood-goyle attacked the three girls as they tried to fight it off. Kirigiri put the martial arts training she received from her maternal grandfather to use; Enoshima pulled out a switchblade and made several swipes at it; but it was Ikusaba who discovered its weakness as she shot at it with her sidearm, turning the creature back to stone. The now solid stone creature hit the ground but didn't shatter. The girls thought that they could take some time to figure out what had happened, but the statue started shaking again. The creature had revived itself!

Ikusaba shot it again. And again. And again. It kept coming back. It was then the girls remembered how they had found the creature originally. The next time it turned to stone, Kirigiri and Enoshima made sure to break it into pieces.

The girls had no idea what had just happened a statue turned into a creature that looked like it was made of blood that turned to stone when it was shot.

For the first time in her life, Kirigiri wondered if the truth was worth what came next.

For the first time in her life, Ikusaba had been injured in battle. She felt the scratch on her cheek she had received from the creature. It could have been so much worse if she had not had combat training.

For the first time in her life, Enoshima had no idea what was going on. And she loved it. Here heart was racing. She had actually feared for her life. She had been so shocked that she had forgotten details about that creature. _A few more experiences like that and I may have to say, "Goodbye Despair,"_ she thought, never believing that a thought like that would ever cross her mind before tonight.

As the girls caught their breath, they couldn't help thinking, _ What next?_

* * *

What came next was the girls' attempt to flee from creatures with burlap sacks for bodies, fitted with executioner's blades in place of either their arms or their legs; red creatures with cloaks made up of black mist; and white creatures with similar cloaks sporting large brimmed hats made of mist. The creatures covered in mist extended what appeared to be their fingers to either impale the girls or throw them off balance while the creatures made of burlap and blades slashed at the girls.

All three students considered themselves to be in good shape, but even they had limits. Not only were they slowing down, the mist creatures had gotten ahead of them and were blocking the way forward.

There was nowhere to hide, they had entered a clearing. As the burlap creatures came from behind and the mist creatures came from the front, the girls began to wonder if there was a way out. As the creatures made to attack the girls, a familiar voice shouted, "Get down!"

The girls did just that as lightning rained down on the creatures, killing them right away.

As the girls got up and calmed themselves, they saw Naegi approaching them from where the mist creatures had been in front of them twin daggers in his hands. Taking note of what was left of the girls' pursuers, Naegi said, "Scarecrows, Mephistos and Fausts, oh my. You three sure are popular tonight."

As the girls began to calm down, Enoshima started to say, "Y-you…"

"…was being secretive for this very reason," Naegi finished. He had no idea what Enoshima was trying to say and right now it hardly mattered, his friends (and Enoshima, more of a frenemy, he guessed) put themselves in danger. He figured that it was lucky it was these three, some of the others would probably still offer to help even after all of this, at least these three would be sensible about it, he hoped. As Naegi was about to take them back to the lodge, while lecturing them for interrupting his work and setting him back, a sword was driven through his chest from behind.

As Naegi coughed up blood, the girls were frozen in shock. Naegi had defeated those previous creatures in no time at all. They were supposed to be safe! From behind Naegi, humanoid creatures in armor appeared. Some of them wielded broad swords. Those crea-, no there was no denying it anymore, these were demons, those demons with the broadswords had red, pulsating lines running across their armor and wore purple, bat-like capes. The demons with the swords and shields wore black armor with blue capes.

The girls were screwed. None of them were equipped to fight armored foes. Ikusaba entertained the idea of trying to see if Naegi had anything that could help, but even if the idea of taking weapons from his corpse didn't disgust her, she wasn't sure she was fast enough.

Just then, countless blood-goyles appeared and began to swarm the clearing. As more and more gathered, the blood-goyles all seemed to coalesce into a bloody cyclone. As the cyclone spun faster and faster it began to take a humanoid shape. When the blood solidified a human-shaped demon with a bat-like head and bat wings on its back appeared. Along with the features of a bat, this new demon had three horns, one on the left and right side of its head, and one on top. Even more unusual to the girls was that it was dressed like a ninja. Kusari, shin and arm guards, a kusarigama for combat, it might even have a face mask, but the girls didn't see one.

"**Is this the mongrel that has been giving us trouble tonight?"** the beast asked as it pointed to Naegi.

One of the armored demons made some unintelligible noise that the large beast took as confirmation.

"**Excellent. Though not one of Sparda's spawn, he fought well. A shame he was our enemy," **the beast lamented.

The girls had no idea what this new demon was talking about. They had heard of Sparda, but what did he, they assumed from the voice the beast was male, mean by "mongrel?" Did he mean Naegi? Was Naegi not human? That didn't make any sense, Naegi was easily the most human out of anyone they had ever met.

"**Tonight is the first step. The blood of demon royalty runs in my veins. I shall be denied my birthright no longer!" **the beast announced. As it turned towards the girls, the beast said, **"I see we have humans in our midst. Very well, their blood will fuel my power. I am Thebumphor, descended from the noble line of vampires. All my kins' suffering, being chased from our ancestral home by disgusting humans; forced to mix our pure blood with lesser demons until we resemble the monsters those inferior creatures believed us to be; all of it ends this night! Kill them!"**

At the beast's order, the armored demons charged at the girls.

The armored demons couldn't feel it; Thebumphor had been too busy gloating; and the girls too afraid to notice, but the air had been getting colder. If they had been in state to notice, the girls would have been able to see the beast's breath.

Before the armored demons got to them, they saw that their would-be attackers had been bisected and had their blood frozen as soon as it started to spray out of each half of the demons. They saw a cloaked figure appear in front of them. Their savior was wielding a scythe and from what they could see, his hands were black, reptilian-esque claws. His cloak was so long that they couldn't tell if he had feet or legs and the cloak's hood was up. As the figure turned to them, they noticed that his face had pure black scaly skin that looked more like a skull than an actual face, with glowing red eye and his teeth and gums were visible.

Between the chill in the air that they finally noticed and the appearance, the girls couldn't help thinking, _Is that the Grim Reaper?_

"**Are you three alright?"** the Reaper asked.

The girls couldn't believe it, it was impossible. It was distorted, but their savior sounded just like Naegi. There was a flash. It was Naegi!

Ikusaba found her voice first, "Naegi-kun, w-we thought…" She couldn't finish that sentence.

"Hmm? Oh, because of that sword through my heart," Naegi said in realization. The girls didn't know what was more unsettling: The memory of Naegi with a sword through his chest or that he was acting like it was no big deal.

Naegi was about to speak again as blood shot out of his entrance and exit wounds, the blood from the back splashing the girls.

Naegi had the decency to look embarrassed. "Sorry about that. I don't usually have an audience when I'm on a job." The girls, well two of them anyway, hoped that it wasn't the case, but the way Naegi worded that apology made it sound like he received what should have been mortal wounds on a regular basis.

"**You aren't just some low-born's spawn, not just any mongrel could get back up after that,"** Thebumphor noted. Looking at the armored demons that were left, he bellowed, **"Kill him!"**

"You three stay there, I'll be done as soon as I can," Naegi told the girls as his scythe disappeared and gauntlets and greaves appeared on his hands and feet. With a stomp of Naegi's foot, a bo staff popped out of the ground. Naegi twirled it a bit before he rushed into the attacking demons.

Enoshima prided herself on her powerful brain. She could analyze and process information faster than anyone alive and even she had trouble keeping up with how fast Naegi was moving. It was as though the armored demons were moving in slow motion as Naegi used the bo staff as parried their slashes and beat them into each other. He then dropped his staff and began punching and kicking the demons with shields. Dent after dent appeared on each shield as the shields began to resemble poorly made and fitted metal gloves on the arms of their respective demon. The gauntlets and greaves then disappeared and Naegi began slashing away at each demon with his scimitar. Soon nothing was left of the armored fiends but puddles of blood and piles of armor.

"They don't make Angelos like they used to," Naegi said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"**You fight well, but can you protect those three from me?"** Thebumphor asked as he took to the air and began to zip around the clearing as a massive blur.

At first, the demon seemed to have the upper hand as he was able to get Naegi from behind a few times with the blade of his kusarigama. Naegi tried to get away and into some cover, but Thebumphor was too fast. The demon knocked Naegi out of the clearing and into the woods and then turned on the girls. Or he would have if Naegi hadn't shot at him from his position outside the clearing.

Thebumphor shrugged the bullets off and determined that he would need to deal with Naegi first. It flew to the spot that the shots had come from and made ready to slash at Naegi with his kusarigama. Or he would have if he hadn't begun to feel unimaginable pain from his left wing. Somehow Naegi was not only in front of him, but he was also on Thebumphor's back tearing off a wing.

"**Raaagh!" **Thebumphor roaring in pain as he shook Naegi off of him but was forced to land. He began to jump from tree to tree at unbelievable speed and made to attack Naegi again. Once again, Naegi appeared in two places at once and the Naegi on Thebumphor's back tore off the right wing this time.

"**Screeeeech!"** Thebumphor was furious now. He began to jump from tree to tree again, picking up speed and launching himself at his opponent. This time, a second Naegi did not appear on his back. This time a second Naegi had his gauntlets on and punched right through Thebumphor's head and managed to punch brain.

Thebumphor felt nauseous. He felt furious. He couldn't feel his legs. He had lost.

"**How did you do that? Appear in two places at once?"** Thebumphor asked.

"I didn't. In this case, the nose does not know," Naegi said cryptically.

It took Thebumphor a minute to realize what Naegi meant. In that minute he also realized that Naegi was not wearing a shirt. Or hoodie. Or his jacket. The other Naegis as it turned out, were human shaped rocks with each had an article of Naegi's discarded clothes draped on it.

"**The scent of your blood. But how could I not find you?"**

Naegi pulled out a can of spray on deodorant from his back pocket. "Pine scented. It burned like hell, but I had to cover up the blood smell on me."

"**You were fortunate. The shape of those rocks helped you."**

"That wasn't luck, I did that. I was planning to use them as markers and as dummies if I was outnumbered. I didn't need them for that, but I couldn't let them go to waste. Hearing your minions going after my classmates helped me find my way back to the clearing, but those rocks still made pretty good dummies."

"**I know when I am beaten. May my power serve you well, as it has served me," **Thebumphor said as he submitted to Naegi. There was a flash of light and in Thebumphor's place was a set kunai and shuriken, as red as blood.

As soon as Naegi picked them up, a red scarf appeared around Naegi's neck and covered the lower half of his face. Naegi smirked under the scarf as he disappeared and reappeared on a nearby lake. He ran across the water with one hand raised in front of his face with his index and middle fingers extended as he leaned forward. He jumped out of the lake and stood on the side of a tree before jumping to another. He jumped from tree to tree picking up speed and soon stood atop the tallest tree in the forest. From their position the girls could see a figure at the top of a tree. They couldn't see who it was, but soon the figure disappeared and reappeared standing on the underside of a branch. The figure was Naegi. A shirtless Naegi Makoto was standing upside down on the underside of a tree branch. He jumped, flipped, and landed on his feet. He put the kunai and shuriken away, the scarf disappeared, and he said, "Let me get my stuff and we'll head back."

* * *

Kirigiri had no idea what to think. Demons were real. Every case she had been taken off left a bad taste in her mouth. She had always wanted answers but never got any. The grim looks on the faces of the police and clients when they informed her that she was off the case told her something serious was going on, but she never would have figured demons were involved. Not before tonight.

There were still many questions that she didn't have the answers to. But she knew one thing. Naegi could give her those answers.

* * *

Ikusaba had no idea what to think. She was the Ultimate Soldier. With the possible exception of Ogami, no mortal alive could defeat her. She had nothing to fear from most other humans. But there were demons out there, and she had plenty to fear from them. She was in peak physical condition as far as humans went, but that hadn't helped her against these demons tonight. The fear she felt was very real.

Ikusaba wasn't sure what to think about tonight's events, but she knew one thing: Naegi looked really good without a shirt.

* * *

Enoshima had no idea what to think. Her talent had been of no help tonight. It was hard to analyze things that she hadn't believed existed and could make impossible movements. Everything tonight had surprised her. The rush she got was greater than anything she had ever felt from Despair. And it seemed that Naegi did things like this all the time if his behavior was any indication.

Enoshima wasn't sure what to think. Not about tonight or about what came next. And she loved it.

* * *

"The rest of the story is rather predictable unfortunately," Enoshima, in her professor persona, lamented. "We returned to the lodge. We got cleaned up. And our classmates were none the wiser."

"Until now you mean," Kirigiri deadpanned from her place on a nearby couch.

It was still summer break, and the students of Class 78 found themselves in an office downtown near the Naegi residence.

"That's an excellent story, Enoshima-san," Fujisaki Chihiro said.

"But we really came here to ask if you four wanted to come with us to Jabberwock Island before break ends," Ishimaru Kiyotaka finished.

"Told you they wouldn't believe it," Ikusaba said to her sister from behind a large desk.

"Well whatever, it doesn't matter. And sure, the beach sounds good. I just got a new bikini so that works," Enoshima said as she reverted to normal.

"Oh, trust me, I know you got a new one," Naegi said as he came out of the back, his face all red carrying some papers.

"Naegi-chi, what are those?" Hagakure asked pointing at the papers.

"Those are our resumes," Enoshima answered.

"Resumes? Well two of them are. 'Kirigiri Kyoko-Paranormal Investigator.' 'Ikusaba Mukuro-Devil Hunter.' Yours just says, 'Enoshima Junko-Secretary' but instead of education and experience it has you with costume glasses posing provocatively in increasingly smaller and tighter outfits," Naegi said as his face got even redder.

"I'll go on missions too, don't worry about that. We can get to the fun stuff afterward," Enoshima said with a wink, earning her a glare from Kirigiri and Ikusaba.

Before Naegi could respond to that the office phone rang and Ikusaba answered it.

"De-," she began, before the person on the other end hung up.

"Darling, you get some really rude people calling this number," Enoshima said back in her sultry secretary persona.

"That's…" Naegi started as his cell phone rang. "Devil May Cry," he answered.

"…"

"I am in the office."

"…"

"I didn't hire anybody."

"Yet~" Enoshima added in a singsong voice loud enough for the person on the other end to hear.

"…"

"Yeah, those classmates who followed me last week sort of hired themselves."

"…"

"Kokujo-san, you aren't being very helpful right now."

"…"

"Alright. Alright. Let's hear it."

"…"

"You're kidding."

"…"

"Jabberwock Island? Really?"

"…"

"Say yes. Say yes. Say yes," the new employees chanted.

"…"

"That's a lot of money for such a straightforward job. Fine. Time to find out what the new help is made of, I guess," Naegi said as he accepted the job. Hoping that maybe it would scare off the girls and keep them safe.

"…"

"No, a buddy of mine refuses to travel commercial, I can bring them myself."

"…"

"Yeah. I call you when the job is finished," Naegi said as he hung up.

"Did the Ultimate Lucky Devil Hunter just hire us?" Kirigiri asked.

"Consider it a probationary period. When we get to Jabberwock, we'll go from there. Feel free to back out at any time," Naegi answered while accepting the invitation to Jabberwock Island.

"No happening," Ikusaba said as she wrapped her arms around Naegi's left arm.

"You're stuck with us," Kirigiri added as she wrapped her arms around Naegi's right arm.

"So Naegi-kun, what all does that Devil Trigger thing you do heal anyway?" Enoshima asked as she hugged Naegi from behind and brought he hands dangerously close to his pelvis.

Naegi knew the girls were human, but he wouldn't blame anyone for thinking they were succubi. He just hoped that they wouldn't go after his "Devil Trigger" while on the job.

* * *

**Bang! Bang! Bang! Pull His Devil Trigger!**

**If Makoto is interested, Dante might switch places with him. Although the girls are underage so maybe not since this is after DMC 3. Not sure where this should fall in the timeline though.**

**I really wanted to give it the feel of that one episode of the Devil May Cry anime where that guy follows Dante around and gets freaked out by everything and the ending was supposed to be like the end of the first episode where Patty just invited/hired herself to take care of the office.**

**Junko was supposed to become obsessed with Makoto because she couldn't analyze or really understand what was going on. In short, he surprised her. So, I guess she's an adrenaline junkie instead of a Despair fetishist.**

**Makoto might have been out of character while on the job, but in my experience, some people act differently at work then they do at home.**

**Pine scented deodorant. Yeah, they actually make it. I did not know that. Apparently, it's herbal. Probably just gonna stick (no pun intended) with my regular brand.**

**While I have everyone's attention:**

**Ultimate Devil Hunter Notes**

**Weapon-Name-Element**

**Scimitar-Hachiman**

**Naegi's original Devil Arm. Not as famous as the sword Sparda or even Yamato and Rebellion, but just as deadly as any of those swords. Perfectly balanced. Good for the Devil Hunter in training and veterans alike.**

**The techniques are nothing that hasn't been seen before. Can effectively use Dante and Vergil's techniques to an extent. Judgement Cut is best left to Yamato.**

**Twin Daggers-Harpuia-Lightning**

**Created from the soul of a Greek demon resembling a male harpy. Came to Japan to make a name for itself. Was highly intelligent, but a bit of a masochist. The less said about that job, the better.**

**Lightning Strike-Naegi crosses the daggers overhead to rain lightning down on his foes. Great for add clearing.**

**Scythe-Hræsvelgr-Ice**

**All that remains of the eagle giant of Helheim resides in this scythe. Don't ask why it came to Japan, maybe the Corpse Swallower was tired of Scandinavian food **

**Cold as Hel-Naegi in his Devil Trigger form, chills the air around his enemy slowing down their movements as he rushes in and hacks away at them. Good for gathering red orbs as the demon blood is more prone to crystallization.**

**Guns-Kinkaku & Ginkaku**

**Ebony & Ivory's cousins from the Land of the Rising Sun.**

**Gauntlets and Greaves-Niú Mówáng-Earth**

**Contains the soul of a demon claiming to be the real Son Wukong. Creates a bo staff of bedrock for defending and parrying blows. Increases speed and strength. Proves that the Monkey King could run with the "speed of a meteor." Supporting the pressing weight of two celestial mountains on his shoulders remains to be seen.**

**Earth Geyser-Naegi punches the ground causing a localized quake while launching large rocks into the air. The force doesn't necessarily have to be aimed at the ground. Perfect for breaking through guarding foes and those with armor. Do not try to defend. Just dodge.**

**Thebumphor-Demon boss**

**Became kunai and shuriken. Similar to the Devil Arm given to Dante by Nico, the hat Faust, creates a red mist that appears as a scarf. The more orbs the longer the scarf. The kunai and shuriken lodge themselves in targets causing them to bleed out and generating red orbs. Costs orbs to use.**

**Yes, Thebumphor was taken from Danganronpa Abridged Thing, but it isn't Celes.**

**The ranger was indeed Android 17. If you caught that, congrats.**

**The name Harpuia came from the MegaMan Zero series as did the weapon and attack.**

**Hope you all enjoyed it. Maybe I'll make Makoto the Ultimate Dragonborn next.**


End file.
